WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
Vicksburg municipal officials recently approved an update to the village’s blight ordinance.
During Vicksburg Village Council’s Aug. 19 meeting, Village Manager Jim Mallery said revising the ordinance that addresses unsightly properties took about a year to craft. The process involved village officials, village attorney Catherine Kaufman and Police Chief Scott Sanderson.
Sanderson said the revisions include streamlining enforcement. He said it’s going to take less time and fewer resources to manage blight-related violations.
With the update, violators face a civil infraction, a change from what previously was a misdemeanor. The upside to such a modification, however, means Sanderson and zoning-enforcement officials have more control over cases without having to wait for a court order every step of the way in order to proceed, Sanderson said.
Council members approved the update unanimously and praised it as a major step in helping Vicksburg neighborhoods maintain their aesthetic integrity.
The ordinance will go into effect in mid-September.
